SNGPL suspends gas supply to textile mills in Punjab

Lahore - The SNGPL on Sunday suspended gas supply to all textile mills in Punjab while other industry is already being deprived of the gas in the province far the last two months. The textile industry has strongly condemned the SNGPL for sudden gas disconnection to the textile mills in Punjab.It will deprive hundreds and thousands of textile workers from jobs and the country from $10 million per day exports, the industry representatives apprehended. They said that some anti-industrial elements have tried to damage the government’s reputation among industry circles by ill-advising it to cut off gas supply to the Punjab-based textile mills a week before the end of the cold weather, he added. Chairman APTMA Punjab SM Tanveer said that such an illogical and irrational step will mitigate the positive impact of the decision of the government among textile workers and millers, especially when weather will get clear within a week or so. He said Pakistan has got a golden opportunity of boosting its textile exports under the GSP plus status from the EU. But the energy supply constraints are not only affecting the production capacity of the Punjab-based textile industry but also sending negative signals to the European buyers. Also, he said, the Punjab-based textile industry has suffered heavily due to unprecedented energy crisis since November 2007, rendering almost half of the available capacity out of production. S M Tanveer has urged the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take notice of the situation and ensure the agreed gas supply quota to the Punjab-based textile mills without interruption.